Elaine was sore. She wasn’t nearly as tired as she was before. Already Astor’s Grace welled up within her and gave her renewed strength, but it could not take away her new cuts and burns. All of her muscles ached in muted pain. Each step was another knife slicing across her skin.

  She pushed her hair out from her face in annoyance, wishing that she could braid it out of the way. It would hinder her once the battle started. It might even let one of her knights get a lucky blow.

  She held her sword at the ready, preparing to charge past Logan and into the night. It was the only way now. They would not be able to stay in the armory forever. Her knights would likely search it first, to make sure no one had snuck inside.

  “Out of the way,” Elaine said, pointing her sword at Logan. “You might not be a fighter, but we cannot delay this. We have advantage in surprise.”

  “Wait,” Logan said, motioning her back. “There might be another way.”

  “Don’t be a coward,” Elaine said.

  “I’m not,” Logan said, drawing his own sword. “Talan, come out here. Is there anything you can do to get us past this?”

  This pushed Elaine back. Who was he talking to?

  Then she saw it, a child cloaked in darkness came up from Logan’s shadow. Green fire raced across her body, and green orbs in her arms glowed in the dim light. There was a feral look in her eyes as she squinted at Elaine.

  “There is something,” the creature said. “It will cost you much, and will give us away to the savod.”

  “Dying later is better than dying now,” Logan said, nodding to Elaine. “I’m sure you agree.”

  Elaine couldn’t speak for a moment. All she could do was stare at the creature. She had never seen anything like it before. It was like an imp, a trickster who traded in souls for Sarrack. She had never thought she would see one.

  “What are you?” She held up her sword.

  “There isn’t enough time to explain this,” Logan said, jumping forward and tackling Elaine as the imp faded back into his shadow. “Do it Talan.”

  A wave of darkness consumed them, wrapping around Elaine and dragging her into the floor. For a brief moment, the world moved away from her, as if it decided to go on moving while she remained frozen. Then the world returned, the faint light of a candle drawing her back.

  Elaine rose to her knee, using her sword as a brace to bring herself off the stone floor. For a moment, she wasn’t sure where she was. Then the faint outline of the Word of Astor soon told her that they were within the Temple.

  Logan stood up beside her, coughing and holding his chest. He stood on uneasy feet, looking much like what she had felt after he freed her. She started to rise, but her stomach wouldn’t permit it.

  “What did you do?” she asked between ragged breaths.

  “We went through the Veil,” Logan said, wobbling on his feet. “That’s all she would say.”

  “And what is she?” Elaine asked, standing up. “What is Talan?”

  “Complicated,” Logan said. “You don’t have to worry about it. After this, you won’t see me again.”

  Elaine didn’t say anything in return as she rose on her feet and sheathed her sword. She might not like all the rules of the Order, but helping Logan now carried a bad taste with it. The question rose within her like a wave. Should she stop him?

  No, it wouldn’t be right to go against her word. Whatever the creature might be, her first priority was Nathaniel and the Order. If it turned out that Logan was working some evil scheme, she would deal with it after.

  “This way,” she said, turning her back on the Word and starting toward the door. “The library is nearby.”

  A wailing cry rang out through the night, like a tortured wolf fighting near death. Even the stained windows of the Temple shook with its presence. A cold chill gripped Elaine’s bones.

  “We have to hurry.” Logan did not explain it, but the fear in his eyes told the entire tale.

  “You won’t be going anywhere.” The doors of the Temple flew open, Elise and two knights stepping through. “You and your friend are not going to leave this room alive, Elaine.”

  Their blades sang through the quiet night as the three knights drew their swords. Moonlight shone from their blades. Elaine went for her own sword, but her hand hesitated. It shook against the hilt of her sword.

  “Elaine,” Logan said beside her, a sword and knife already in his hands. “Hurry and draw your sword. They’re not playing a game.”

  “Why are you doing this Elise?” Elaine ignored him, focusing on Elise. “We fought together. We’ve protected Nethas together. We were friends, sisters.”

  “We aren’t sisters.” Elise spat. “You always say that we are comrades, that we are equals. All the while, you are the only one of us to be elevated to a captain. You are the only one to become better. We all fought our hardest during the attack, but only you were promoted.”

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  “That’s what this is about?” Elaine asked, her heart turning in her chest. “You sent me to be tortured because you were jealous?”

  “Jealous?” Elise asked, her voice shaking. “No, I was angry. I was angry that a coward like you could command me. I was angry that so many of my sisters would not breathe again because you gave poor orders. I was angry that I did nothing to stop you.”

  “Is there no way to talk about this?” Elaine asked as renewed strength filled her arm.

  She drew her sword.

  “No, this is beyond what your words can do,” Elise said, signaling her two knights to attack. “Take them.”

  Elaine brought up her sword, barely stopping the knight’s blade before it struck her. Grace rose up in her arms, bolstering her strength against the assault. This would not be an easy fight, even with its power.

  The knight struck again. Elaine held her attacks back with a steady hand, watching her movements. The knight was aggressive. She was far too concentrated on attacking with every available moment.

  Elaine pushed the knight’s blade aside. She released a single hand from her sword and struck with her gauntlet. The knight’s helmet rang like a bell, sending the woman stepping back from the attack.

  “You don’t have to do this,” Elaine said, stepping back to a defensive stance.

  “Don’t talk with the traitor,” Elise said. “Just take her down.”

  The knight regained her footing, thrusting forward with her sword. Elaine parried it to the side, sliding forward with two steps. Elaine kicked and caught the knight in the stomach. The knight fell down to the ground and rolled back to Elise.

  Elaine glanced to Logan, seeing that he was still fighting his own opponent. A single gash marked his cheek, but he was still holding his own. He danced around his opponent, using small strikes to wear her down.

  A warrior’s cry recalled Elaine to her own battle, the knight rising again and charging toward her. Elaine sidestepped the charge, striking with the flat of her blade against the knight’s helm. Again, the knight fell to her knees, clutching at her helm.

  This time Elaine did not hesitate. Elaine stood over the knight and struck, stabbing down through the knight’s armor with her sword. Elaine struggled to control her heart, struggled to keep it from crying out. She had killed before, but never one of her own.

  The knight collapsed to the ground, blood trailing as Elaine withdrew her sword.

  Elaine turned to Logan, ready to help him in his own battle, but it was already finished. The knight lay on the ground, blood pooling around her armor. Blood stained Logan’s knife, and he stood breathing heavily over her with a grim look.

  “And now you’ve done something terrible,” Elise said. “Far worse than just being a traitor. I now name you a murderer.”

  “You can say what you like,” Elaine said, keeping her voice under control as she pointed her sword at Elise. “But we’re leaving here now.”

  “You’ll have to get through me first.” Elise leaned forward, pointing her sword at Elaine. “And I’m nothing like those two.”

  “Two on one isn’t bad odds,” Logan said.

  Anger welled up within Elaine. A haze wrapped around her eyes. The pain rose to the surface. Two of her knights were dead because of Elise’s jealousy. She was a traitor because of Elise’s hubris.

  “No.” Elaine stepped forward. “She’s mine. Don’t interfere.”

  Elaine lunged forward, and steel caught steel in a grating cry. She struck hard, hitting again and again with all of her might. Elise’s blade quivered under the attack, and for a moment, Elaine forced her back.

  Elaine’s attack didn’t last long, and Elise had the same strength that she did. Elaine’s sword missed its target on her last strike, and it clattered across the ground through the arc of her swing. In that moment, the battle changed.

  Elise struck with a vengeance, her sword dancing at Elaine in a fast flurry of thrusts. The point of her sword was everywhere at once. The rapid thrusts blurred together. Elaine jumped back from it and the air from the final thrust rushed past her face.

  “That was close,” Elise said, smirking as she regained her stance. “One step off and it would have been over.”

  “It’s far from over.” Elaine let Grace fill her arms with more strength and shot forward in a lunge.

  “I disagree.” Elise dodged her thrust and took a two-handed grip on her sword.

  In a sickening instant, it was over. She had left herself exposed. The blow came quickly, a long horizontal slash. The air rushed out of her, and she heard the loud crack of the sword against her breastplate.

  It gave. The armor buckled under the strike. A hundred cracks spread out from where it hit, running up and down Elaine’s side. Elaine fell to her knees as Elise drew the sword away, holding the hole tightly.

  Grace seeped out of her, the fading warmth replaced with the chilling cold of the night. Even the haze of anger faded from her eyes. She could see clearly now. That was it. The link in the sigils was broken. She was empty, just a husk without any real power.

  “Are you okay?” Logan asked as he knelt next to her.

  “You were so certain that you would win.” Elise laughed, stepping back.

  “It’s not over.” Elaine pushed Logan away, rising up and holding her sword ready.

  “You don’t have any strength left,” Elise said. “You won’t win.”

  “I won’t know until I try,” Elaine said, releasing her breastplate and letting the bloodied pieces fall.

  Elaine charged forward with all of her strength, slashing down with her sword at Elise. Elise knocked it away with ease and the force of the blow echoed through Elaine’s bones. Elaine’s sword clattered to the ground, out of her reach.

  “You won’t be able to try again,” Elise said, pointing her sword’s tip to Elaine’s neck.

  Elaine stood still, knowing that the killing blow would not be far away. She couldn’t fight back any more. There was no way to win. She had fought with all of her strength and that was all that mattered.

  “No final words then?” Elise said.

  “A few,” Elaine said. “But they aren’t for you to hear.”

  “Then you’ll have to die before they can be said,” Elise said, thrusting forward with her sword. “Goodbye, traitor.”

  The wailing cry pierced through the night, directly behind Elise. Before she could complete her thrust, a dark hand reached out from the dark and grasped her from beyond the door. Elaine only saw her surprised face as she the hand pulled her through the door.

  Elaine rushed out after her. Moonlight exposed the creature, a giant monster nearly the height of three men. The night sky seemed to cloak the creature’s human-like body and it had an egg shaped head dominated by two bright white eyes. Searching tentacles writhed on its head, grasping at the air in a rapid dance.

  “Let go of me, monster.” Elise struggled in the creature’s grip, her sword falling from her hands in the struggle.

  “What is it?” Elaine asked, watching as the creature held Elise up to its glowing eyes.

  “A savod,” Logan said, coming up behind her.

  “What is that?” Elaine asked.

  “Something that we shouldn’t stay here to face,” Logan said, already starting to walk away. “Are you coming?”

  Before she could answer, the savod tossed Elise aside. It charged for them in a bounding leap. It landed before Logan, its towering form cutting off his escape. A white glowing mouth opened, and it roared, slamming its giant fists down into the ground.

  There would be no escape.